No Barriers to Fun!

We met our friend Giddeon at the AbleGamers Accessibility Arcade in Atlantic City, New Jersey. When he first sat down with the AbleGamers crew, Giddeon didn't want to play any games. He told us that with his disability gaming was difficult. Giddeon has a rare disease that caused the growth of his arms .. Read More
A Window to the World

Shepherd University invited the AbleGamers Foundation to come on campus and do one of our Accessibility Arcades for the students and local disabled community. The event was a roaring success with hundreds of children and adults coming out to see the technology and in some cases experience gaming the first time. Read More

About the AbleGamers Foundation

Since 2004, the AbleGamers Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, has served more than 56 million members of the disabled community by advocating greater access in video games. Today, AbleGamers is a leader in the development of equipment, programs and services to those living with disabilities, hardships, and quality-of-life issues that are a result of chronic illness or trauma. It is our goal to ensure that all people, regardless of their disability, can use gaming as a tool to have enriched social experiences with friends, family, and the world at large.

Casual Gaming and Pogo

Written by Rebecca Fortelka

Published on 15 December 2010

{sidebar id=1}It’s the holiday season and we all need a break from the hustle and bustle of life. What could be more perfect to melt away the stress then playing a casual game?

Casual gaming is defined as being “developed for the general public and families, casual games are video games that are fun and easy to learn and play. The games are platform agnostic, meaning they can be played via the Internet, PC and Macintosh computers, Facebook, Xbox, PlayStation, iPhone, Nintendo DS, Wii and even mobile phones and PDA. They’re nonviolent, arcade-style games that involve puzzles, words, board and card games, game show and trivia. Popular games are Mahjong, Tetris, Solitaire, Bejeweled, Mystery Case Files, and Farmville.”

Over 400 casual games are developed and launched on major web portals each year with thousands more on the iPhone, PC and Mac. Pogo is the latest to join the casual gaming market on the iPhone or iTouch. The Pogo apps include Poppit!, Word Whomp, Turbo 21, Mahjong Safari, and Sweet Tooth 2, five of the service's most popular games. The application is free but ad supported. Players that are already members of Club Pogo can enter their login information to receive the ad-free treatment as well. But best of all, for non- members it’s only 2.99 to turn the ads off, which makes Club Pogo Mobile relatively inexpensive for some very accessible and fun games.

Now, I will go through and discuss each game and its accessibility. Poppit!is first on the list, where you score points by popping balloons and releasing prizes. The object of the game is to pop as many balloons as possible to earn a jackpot spin. The accessibility is great as it has no time limit and is perfect for those with limited dexterity. But colorblind gamers will have a lot of issues with this game as you must pop balloons of a like color to win. This game is fun casual and quick while being a great way to take a break and bring back some memories of throwing darts at balloons so to speak.

Next is Word Whomp, a classic word game with a slight twist. Gophers have to dig through terrain to find items to power their drill. Digging is accomplished spelling words from three to six letters long from the six letters shown at the beginning of each round. The digging acts like a progress meter. You have to spell a minimum number of words before the timer runs out. Reach a minimum standard to win where you can continue to collect points and Pogo Tokens. The accessibility for this title is a little less desirable as it is timed and sometimes touchy when choosing letters to spell words. However, Word Whomp is great for word wizards!

The third game my personal favorite: Turbo 21. The goal is to use the available cards to make as many hands equaling twenty-one as possible before the clock runs out. This is far easier said than done. Turbo 21 offers the perfect mix of casino blackjack and card counting. Also, the accessibility is good because the cards are easy to read and the numerical information, such as the timer and the card counts, are cleanly displayed. The time maybe a little tense for some but it’s really fun!

pogo_splash We are almost nearing the end with Mahjong Safari, another one of my favorites, which is a leisurely game of matching beautiful animal tiles. You get a new animal tile with each rank increase. You can set your own pace and try to get as many combos as possible in as little time as possible for token bonuses or just relax and enjoy the chat as you play. There are currently 50 ranks and countless levels. The accessibility is best of the iPhone application since you can customize the colors for the visually impaired, play with no time limits and make the tiles larger for the gamers that are motor skill impaired. All and all it’s Mahjong with fun little animals.

Finally we have Sweet Tooth 2, a perfect game for the candy puzzle lover! Match three or more sweets in Sweet Tooth and watch your cravings disappear. Puzzle games like Sweet Tooth are downright scrumptious without the calories. There are three fun levels with a crazy time clock, which may cause concern for some Ablegamers.

Overall, Pogo has been around for 10 years and really captivated gamers in the casual game market. In the words of Michael Marchetti, SVP & GM Pogo at Electronic Arts, "With the move to iPhone and iPod touch, we're giving people new ways to play, share and compete-now any moment can turn into a fun moment." Join Pogo in this very fun and accessible iPhone application.